Porsche's new 911 racing edition: shaken, not stirred

911 Carrera S Martini Racing Edition. Photo:AFP

Porsche is launching the new Martini Racing Edition of its enduring 911 in celebration of the company’s return to Le Mans.

Just 80 examples of the car will be offered to the Porsche-driving public in Europe, China, Japan and Latin America.

Available in two exterior finishes – white or black – the car comes trimmed in the iconic red and blue Martini racing decals, which were a common sight when Porsche dominated endurance racing back in the 1970s and 80s, and the color scheme continues inside. The dash features Martini badging and colored accents.

As good looking as the car is – helped by a redesigned front spoiler - don’t get too excited about what lies beneath the racing stripes because the rest of the car has not been inspired by Porsche’s latest Le Mans racer. Therefore, don't expect it to have a state-of-the-art hybrid motor powering its wheels.

Instead it has the same 3.8-liter flat six usually found in the 911 Carrera S. Still, with a 0-62mph (100km/h) time of 4.1 seconds and almost 400bhp on tap, it’s no slouch.

Instead of an engine upgrade, Porsche has thrown in a bunch of toys as standard that are usually high on the options list. So it has the Chrono Sports package for timing laps, the full Porsche infotainment system (including satnav) and a special steering wheel.